Spiffy:

Iffy:

May not be different enough from previous CoD games for some.

There's no denying that humankind's ability to bring forth destruction during World War II was pretty impressive. Tiger tanks, bazookas, MG-42s, the tools of war during the early to mid 1940s were more than capable of wrecking havoc on the battlefield. The Call of Duty series did a fantastic job of conveying their deadliness in video game form, but as awe-inspiring as those weapons were, they're more than 60 years old now and quite a bit has changed. Modern weapons have higher-capacity magazines, coordination between air and ground forces is tighter than ever and modern weaponry is deadlier than ever. Not only that, but the speed of the combat itself is faster and more frenzied than ever before. This is immediately apparent the second you see Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in action.

We lucked out at E3 and were able to watch two different COD4:MW demos back to back. The first was on the PlayStation 3, and the scene opened with an armada of Blackhawk choppers flying over a Middle-Eastern town. As you and your fellow Marine Force Recon leathernecks approach your destination you'll see numerous trails from RPGS arc up into the sky. A few moments later the pilot flares the chopper and you fast rope down into what can only be described as pure carnage.

Welcome to Hell

Immediately you'll find yourself taking fire from multiple locations in a densely packed desert urban environment. Instead of taking fire from single-shot German Mauser rifles and occasional MP-40 sub machineguns you're ducking under AK-47 rounds and RPGs. There are less entrenched positions and more shooters spread throughout the environment, on rooftops, in alleyways, in windows. Parked cars can become firebombs and the close combat means you'll have to stay frosty at all times. Eventually the battle will move from the streets to indoors where your buddies will use breaching devices to take down doors and do the dangerous work of room-clearing. During this demo we saw a number of modern tools of war in use including M4 carbines with red dot scopes attached and flashbang grenades.

The second demo we saw takes place at night as a platoon of SAS operatives are transported to a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean. Before the mission starts it's stated that the crew is expendable. This point is hammered home the second the missions starts as you fast rope onto the deck of the ship and immediately wipe out everyone on the bridge. Your team of hardened SAS vets takes down everyone without a second thought, not even a drunken sailor and his sleeping crewmates are spared. It's gritty and not easy on the soft-hearted, but orders are orders.

As you clear out the boat with your suppressed MP5s you'll really feel like part of a special forces group. Every enemy encountered is taken down silently, and with chilling efficiency. Eventually your team will make its way to the cargo hold. Here is where the action really heats up, in fact, the fighting got so tough that the person playing the demo died at least four times before succeeding. We'd love to tell you what happens once you secure the cargo, but that'd spoil a fantastic moment and we just don't have the heart to do that to you. Let's just say that it's an amazing event that you definitely won't forget.